Clean Clothes Campaign starts week of action to urge brands to sign the 2018 Bangladesh Accord

by christie — last modified 2023-08-17 14:55
Today, a week ahead of the five year anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse, Clean Clothes Campaign and allies are starting a week of action, urging garment brands to make factories in Bangladesh safe by signing the 2018 Transition Accord.

The Bangladesh Accord on fire and building safety was established in May 2013 as a response to the Rana Plaza collapse and has through its diligent inspections and worker trainings made Bangladesh’s garment factories significantly safer. An extension to the initial five year programme has been signed by over 140 brands. Convinced that all garment workers in Bangladesh should have the right to not fear for their lives in their workplace, Clean Clothes Campaign is calling upon all brands sourcing from Bangladesh that have not already done so to sign the 2018 Accord.

First of all we are urging companies that were part of the initial Accord ‑ which is signed by over 220 apparel companies - to renew their commitment to the programme. This includes companies such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Sainsbury’s and Gekas Ullared. Abercrombie & Fitch will face a day of action on 21 April, with online and street actions by Clean Clothes Campaign, International Labor Rights Forum, United Students Against Sweatshops and other allies. Sainsbury’s is currently the last company left out of six targets of a petition started by the platform SumOfUs in February.

Furthermore, we are urging companies that never signed the Bangladesh Accord in the first place to leave behind corporate-led initiatives and join the credible and transparent inspection programme of the Accord. This includes VF Corporation (The North Face, Timberland, Lee, Wrangler), Gap, Walmart, Decathlon and New Yorker.

Lastly, we welcome the option in the 2018 Accord to include factories of home textile, knit and fabric accessories under the Accord. Clean Clothes Campaign calls upon all companies that have already signed to use this provision to extend the Accord coverage to more workers in their supply chain. Furthermore this opens up the opportunity for companies that produce non-garment textiles, such as IKEA, to join the Accord. We are urging IKEA and other home textile producers to show they care about the safety of their workers in Bangladesh and sign the 2018 Accord.

Check here which brands have and have not signed the 2018 Accord and take action. Watch our campaign video here.

Read more about the Bangladesh Accord in our background memo.